Fielden Cup, Dec 27th

A mad rush to get everything done before this bastion of the Horwich RMI Calendar (I'd promised to post up mp3s my five desert island discs to Carms RnB Groovers list!) meant that it was a last minute arrival at the Bowling Club , just in time to register and pay my £2. I know I'm always last minute, verging on late, but generally I can depend on Bazza to be even later and yes, he was, just following me into the Car Park. Mary shouted hurry up so I had not time to argue that my terrible time at the Marl Pits Cross Country should give me a good handicap so just accepted whatever Pete threw at me. Said to both me and Baz that we can do seven and half minute miling so decided to set us both off with Mary. So no pressure, knew that Baz would beat me like he has convincingly in the last couple of cross country races (by nearly 5 minutes at Marl Pits) and Mary would wallop me on a fell race but not sure about the roads.

A fast jog to the start where all the rest were waiting for us. Pete's clock starts. Off goes the only runner with a bigger start (on 2 minutes). Where's Bazza? He's only thought that start was same as the Jubilee. How can anyone make such an error? Can't think of anyone on this list who'd make such a schoolboy error - it must be a lack of ed-ucation.

Anyway Baz gets to the start just in time and off we go - four of us on 3:30 handicap, including one I don't know who breaks away from us with Mary just ahead of me and Baz. Heading onto Horribin Lane and I've moved ahead of Mary with the other guy about 10 yards in front. I catch him on The Street and go ahead and he sticks with me. Norman is marshalling at the turn and no faster runner has caught us but the one who started off on two minutes is well ahead and there's no chance of catching him. He'll surely win unless a very fast runner comes past  in the next few seconds.

The final 200 metres were spent negotiating all the families of walkers expecting the mad rush to come past. No cones so all of a sudden the finish line arrives with Pete R there. I've finished second and just managed to hold off the guy who start with Baz, Mary and myself. Very surprised that I'd beaten Baz. Then people start congratulating me as the Fielden Cup winner. I'd not realised that the bloke who was first across the line was a guest runner as was the guy I'd battled with all the way through.

It's a big trophy and I feel honoured that my name will be added to the names on it that go back to 1897. I think the aim is to get the race back to its normal April/May date for 2009.

So Ed, it could have been you. Discussing it with Mary after you'd driven past and I reckon you'd possibly have been given a 2 minutes start on us which may have been enough.